Running, Recipes, and Real life adventures!

Week 4 of training, complete!

Overall week 4 of training went off without a hitch. Despite little sleep, I managed to get in my weekday runs, strength training, and even a shake out walk today. I also finished my week off with a couple hours of yard work, which included glimpses of spring!

Green little sproutlings made me SOOOO excited today!

But back it up a little…sorry, I am getting ahead of myself-LOL! Yesterday was my scheduled long run, and I had 11 miles on deck. I hadn’t run long outside since November, and my nerves were pretty high. My friend D offered to meet up with me at 8 a.m. as she was starting at 7 a.m. and I could sleep in a little while she started out since she needed 18 miles.

Despite saying we would both wear our FVM jackets, the rest of the outfit was NOT planned, LOL!!

It worked out PERFECTLY. The sun was out, the temps were nearly perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better morning. Despite being much faster than I am, D offered to slow it down so we could just run, chat, and leave it all on the trails for a couple hours. And that’s exactly what we did…we kept it a 10mm pace, which is my ‘sweet spot’ to run in where I am pushing myself yet can still glide along easily while holding a conversation.

My ITB is starting to feel the miles, so I did have to stop at stretch it out several times. A quick stretch though, was what seemed to do the trick and I tried to ensure we weren’t stopped for more than a minute each time. The run was amazing, but I am guessing this is greatly due to the company I was in. ❤

Since the hubby is working all weekend, I decided to take the girls to see the new Cinderella movie. I LOVED it. They did, too! I highly recommend seeing this film.

Always time for silliness!

Today was a busy day of Fox Valley Marathon planning and my fellow Co-Directors of Volunteers and I met up with the Race Directors for a an overview of the new online tools we will be using. Can’t wait!

I finished the day, as said previously, by working on my yard, raking, walking, pulling up dead stuff and yes…scooping a winter’s worth of dog poo. Gross is all I can say.

Tonight’s Sunday Supper was Red snapper that I pan fried, served with a broccoli slaw with pancetta along with a cauliflower and leek mash. Delish indeed!!!

Love our Sunday Suppers!

I’ve posted how I prepare Cauliflower mash previously here and just added a chopped leek to the mix. YUM!

Broccoli Slaw

One bag of pre-chopped broccoli slaw

2 teaspoons of Mayo with olive oil

A splash or two of rice wine vinegar

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of pancetta that has been browned with garlic and chopped mushrooms (drain on a paper towel)

Mix well and let chill for an hour before serving

Red Snapper

Dry your fillets with a paper towel and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a non stick pan with cooking spray and just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to medium/high heat. Cook skin side down first, add a pat of unsalted butter and flip about 4-5 minutes and brown the other side for just a minute or two until the fish is completely cooked. Finish with a light sprinkle of kosher salt.

As the weekend draws to a close, I am counting my blessings. I truly couldn’t and SHOULDN’T ever ask or want for more in my life, than what I have today.

Did you all get your long runs in? Were you able to get outside this weekend? What’s your favorite healthy meal?

I did go long this weekend! Buuuut…treadmill. It was pouring down rain all day Saturday and after being sick I didn’t want to chance that. Congrats on a great week and that snapper looks AWESOME! I love red snapper. 🙂

Yey for good long runs! They are such confidence boosters aren’t they? I did my first run outside in many months and it was a little rough on the legs…a lot of soreness the day after which is unusual for me after a long run. Here’s hoping all the runs are outdoors from here on out! That recipe looks delicious!!

Look at you two all matchy matchy! So cute and I love those FVM jackets! You seem to be acclimating to the increasing outside miles just fine. Cinderella is my favorite alas my girls are not fans. 😦
OMG don’t even start with the dog doo. I scooped so much and am still not done. Yuck.

Runs are always so much better in company. I did a 24k run on Saturday with the boys (running squad boys) and had a ball. It’s the best time of the week. Especially the last couple of k’s when the competitive urges kick in and we all pick it up a notch. It leaves me buzzing for hours.

Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Michelle and I am a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. I have found a passion for running, cooking, writing, photography and all things that move my love for life! I've ran 3 full marathons, with a PR of 4:25, and 13 half marathons with a PR of 2:00:11 (yup-missed sub 2 by 11 seconds, lol). 2016 will be all about tackling the hard things and embracing the good things while my hubby is deployed overseas! Thanks for joining me on my journey!